Ideas for Vol 5
by Jauneforever
Summary: Just a way I think Volume 5 could go. Was planning on it to only be a two-shot but some ideas refused to leave me so now it's a three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**So writers block with everything else I'm working on right now but I did come up with this. Basically, this is just a few thing I feel could happen in Vol 5 and beyond. I do not own RWBY.**

 **Chapter 1- A Traitor's Reward.**

 **Lionheart's POV**

This can't happen, this can't be happening. Everything was going so well. I gave Salem the relic, I gave up the codes and other bits of info that she needed to hack the CCTS. I did everything I had to in order to survive and now it's falling all apart. Those seven students and that drunk Qrow ruined everything. They rallied a defense and insured that the White Fang and the Grimm were repelled, now only a few remain in the city, which only suffered relatively mild damage all things considered. Unfortunately, I'm stuck under some of that damage, a wall collapsed on me and broke my leg. All my struggles have failed to grant me release. Footsteps reveal that someone is near me. I try to wiggle lose and in my desperate struggle I get free. I get up and ignore the agony of my broken leg, aura may work miracles at times but this is not one of them. I look to the right and see a figure running towards me down the street. I make to flee the other way.

"AGGGH!" My good leg goes flying in the other direction and I collapse back to the ground. Then an intense burning begins at my stump, whoever attacked is cauterizing the wound. The one responsible walks in front of me and I look up. It's the leader of the late Pyrrha Nikos's team, Jaune Arc. A small part of me is impressed by how far he's come, to create a flying blade attack that cut through flesh is quite an accomplishment given what I saw of him originally. Of course, it wouldn't have worked if I had more aura. The rest of me is cursing his very existence right now.

"Figures you'd be trying to sneak away. Are you happy with this, with all the dead." I glare at the fool that ruined my escape.

"I did what I had to in order to survive, Ozpin was going to drag us all down to Hell with him and I didn't want that. I worked hard to get my post as headmaster on Ozpin's recommendation, it was supposed to be a nice, safe post that didn't involve much danger and then Ozpin reveals that I'm in more danger than ever. I was nothing but a disposable pawn to him. Just like you, your partner, and everyone else that man meets." The boy stares at me with emotionless eyes for a second, the fire raging behind us reflected in his eyes.

"I don't have a team anymore. Ren and Nora died taking out those Chimeras that your friends let loose." I'm going to die, there is no chance that he is simply going to take me in. "I can't exactly argue against what you've said. Most of Ozpin's group seems to view what happened with Pyrrha as sad but unavoidable sacrifice. They didn't care about the fact she was risking her life for them." I can't help the chuckle that escapes my lips.

"Boy, do you know the entirety of the risk Nikos was taking." The boy glares at me but the curiosity is there.

"No."

"They were essentially shoving a new soul into her. The chances of her coming out the same were somewhere between zero and non-existent. I'm sure Ozpin exaggerated her chances but he would have at least told her the risks. She could have died, been taken over by the new soul, or become some fusion of herself and the new soul. Neither Amber nor Pyrrha but something in the middle." Aura surrounds the boy as his anger rises. It's an impressive amount and I can't help but wonder how much he'll grow if he doesn't die soon. I suppose being a teacher for so long has affected me somewhat.

"Now do you see boy. Either side of this war, Ozpin or Salem, we're but pawns. Ozpin may have the decency to act like he cares about us but he doesn't care about the losses as long as he wins in the end." The boy's hand grips his sword and the sheath wraps around the blade to form a larger one. I brace myself for impact but he merely steps to the side to avoid a Beowolf leaping from a roof and then cuts it in two.

"Maybe you're right. Honestly, I agree with you. but I know that at least Ozpin fights to keep humanity alive. Am I going to follow him now? No. Working with him is another thing. My father once said it doesn't matter if you hate the man beside you, all that matters is that you can fight side-by-side. I'm definitely that guy." He begins to walk towards the howls of more Beowolfs.

"I'll leave you in Neo's tender care." I make to question him but stop when a weight drops on my back and my head is forced back. Sitting on me is Torchwick's assistant, the small girl that was considered MIA after the Fall of Beacon. Most considered her KIA given Ruby Rose sent her flying into a flock of aerial Grimm. A dagger entering my shoulder rips me from my thoughts. I'm forced to look back at the girl once more as she her grin becomes dark and bloodthirsty. I notice she has wearable Electrolarnyx, you work as a hunter long enough you come to recognize most prosthetics and other devices meant to work around disabilities.

" _This is going to be fun. Don't you think so?"_

 **Jaune's POV**

I cut down another Beowolf as the screams stop. If this had been even three hours ago I would have never allowed Neo to have her way with Lionheart despite the fact he's scum. Now with Ren and Nora dead I find myself not really caring how the traitor's final moments are. I bash an Ursa in the head with my shield and follow up with a slash that cuts clean through its head. I hear something coming from behind and turn to see a Creep running at me. I ready myself to roll out of the way when Neo appears right above it and drives her main blade, as well as the hidden one at the end of her parasol into the creature's neck. The Creep trips and starts sliding towards me before stopping a mere foot from me. It raises its head up but I drive my sword into its cranium before it can rise. Neo hops of the decaying beast and look up at me with a look of exhilaration on her face. That electrolarynx is gone, stored somewhere on her person, its purpose served with her interrogation of Lionheart.

"Get anything good from him." Neo holds up a scroll that she pulls out of nowhere, I really don't want to know where she was hiding it. I chose to ignore the bloodstain in one corner. "I'm assuming you got the access code." She nods. "The body?" Neo gestures in one direction and makes a pinching motion before repeating the same motion in multiple directions. "You scattered it in multiple directions?" Neo smiles and nods her head. I'm still getting the hang of understanding all her gestures but I'm getting there.

I met her about a month ago. She offered information and her aid but only if I kept quiet about her identity. I couldn't even tell Ren and Nora. I almost said no but decided that it was an asset I couldn't let go. The first time I told everyone about my source it was Qrow that got everyone to let me keep it a secret. He was fine with it as long as we kept getting reliable info. Neo kept getting good info but she never heard a hint about what was about to happen, I trust her enough to know she would tell me if she did. She wants Cinder and all her allies dead, they're the ones she blames for Roman's death. I'm just glad she isn't trying to kill Ruby.

"Good, let the rats eat take care of their own. I'm going to go search for any straggling Grimm or White Fang." I'm currently having to bury all of my anger, guilt, and every other emotion that Nora and Ren's deaths have brought up. They're a hindrance now, I'll deal with them after this is all over. I make to walk off only to see Neo following me.

"I'm not going to get you ice cream Neo." Ice Cream, her second condition for information. I'm so glad Qrow offered to help pay off my source, of course as far as I know he thought I was giving her the money directly rather than buying her sweets. Neo shakes her head at my statement and draws unsheathes her blade, the meaning behind her action is clear.

"Well it's not like I can stop you." Neo is on the long list of people that could kick my ass blindfolded, I like to think that list is slowly shrinking though. Neo sends me her smirk but I can't bring myself to smirk back. I feel like I'm betraying my team's memory, but my lack of strength means I need to take every chance and advantage I can. My feelings on the matter be damned. A few White Fang members that work worse for the wear run out of an alley in front of us. Neo and I have already cut one down each by the time they notice us. No mercy, no second chances, these bastards helped take my team from me. They're all going to die.

"Let's wipe them out Neo." A vicious grin is all the answer I need.

 **I'm thinking this will be a two-shot. I got the idea and base for one more chapter. Let me know what you think about this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**All right part-two of this Two-Shot. Hope you all like it. Sadly, I still do not own RWBY.**

 **Chapter 2- Separate ways.**

 **Qrow's POV**

The instant I heard about the N and R of JNPR dying I knew this would happen. The kid already distrusted us and their deaths only made it worse. Oscar/Ozpin and Ruby are trying to talk him out of leaving but I know this isn't going to work.

"B..but Jaune you can't leave. You said we would stick together."

"I agreed to follow you to Haven to find out more about Cinder. We found those answers, your team is back together, and I don't feel like following Ozpin's puppet."

"Hey, I'm not Ozpin's puppet." The kid's glare actually gives me pause. I'm currently thankful he hates Salem as more than he does Ozpin.

"How long until that changes? What happens the first time your opinion is different from his? Ozpin has already proven he has no problem sacrificing people in his care. He'll write you off easily and take your body for his own." The sad fact is the Kid has a point. Oh, I doubt Ozpin would do that but coming from his point of view I can see why he'd think that.

"Jaune!" Ruby looks shocked at the Kid's statement.

"What!? Ozpin proved he could sacrifice the strongest huntress of our year, how long till he decides your or me or anyone else is next on the chopping block." Oscar shivers and his stance changes, Ozpin you couldn't have picked a worse time to do this. This is not going to help your case.

"Mr. Arc, I assure you that I was not trying to sacrifice Pyrrha. I assure you that what happened was an unfortunate tragedy."

"How high were her chances of coming out of that machine unscathed." It's not a question, the kid knows how low they were. Ozpin's frown appears on Oscar's face.

"I don't kno…"

"It's all on Lionheart's scroll. ZERO PERECENT! YOU FUCKING PUT HER IN THAT MACHINE KNOWING SHE WOULDN'T COME OUT THE SAME. BUT NO THAT DIDN'T MATTER, ALL YOU CARED ABOUT WAS YOUR PRECIOUS FALL MAIDEN!" Okay I was aware it was low but absolute zero. Ozpin definitely crossed a line. Ruby is looking at Ozpin/Oscar in shock. Ozpin opens his mouth to speak but Jaune beats him to it.

"Did you have anything to do with Summer Rose's death?" I tense and Ruby looks hurt while anger appears in Ozpin's eyes.

"You actually think I had something to do with that?"

"Possibly, I actually don't want to believe it but then I thought about it. Summer had two young daughters to think about, maybe that made her reconsider working alongside you. Perhaps she was worried you would sacrifice them on your alter of "Necessary Losses" and wanted to break ties. But you needed the power of the Silver Eyes under your thumb so you ensured she got sent on a mission she wouldn't come back from, maybe hired a few assassins to hit her when she was exhausted and wounded who then made it look like a bunch of Grimm finished her off. Ruby here gains a desire to follow in her mother's footsteps and from everything I've heard a rather inattentive dad the first few years after Summer's death. You find Ruby years later and invite her to Beacon early. She in-turn feels indebted to you and you gain a new pawn with Silver Eyes." My hand tightens around my sword's hilt, I'm scared to admit just how damn plausible it sounds. Ozpin has done some shady crap before, all of it necessary but still crossing some grey areas. Is it actually possible that's what he did?

"Jaune… you don't actually think that... do you?" Ruby looks like she's about to have a panic attack and her face is so pale. Ozpin was a mentor of sorts to her and someone she respected. This theory hits her hard.

"I don't know. I'd like to think Ozpin isn't that much of a bastard as to take away the mother of two young girls but honestly after all the crap I've learned I could see it happening." Ozpin/Oscar's eyebrow goes up and he opens his mouth.

"And what exactly have you learned."

"Like I said I looked through Lionheart's scroll. Every freaking thing he knew about you and what you've done was on it." The Kid pulls out a flashdrive and tosses it at Ozpin/Oscar's head, Ozpin catches it easily but it helps show how angry the kid is. "That's everything he had on Salem. I may hate you but I'd rather we work together against Salem. We can fight about your actions after she's dealt with." The Kid throws a few more things into his backpack and I notice some new editions to his outfit. Sown onto the right sleeve of his hoodie are the symbols of his teammates. He zips it up and slings it over his shoulder before ruffling Ruby's hair.

"Take care of yourself Crater Face." Ruby opens her mouth to protest but a crack fills the air and Torchwick's little assistant appears. I knew all about her, I followed the Kid when he met her once when he went to meet her in order to make sure he wasn't in over his head. To my surprise he handled her pretty well. Clearly, she is still working with him.

"Oh, one more thing." The Kid moves faster than I thought he could and Ozpin/Oscar is sent flying into the wall with a bloody nose. "That felt really good. Let's go Neo." With a smirk at Ruby Neo latches onto the Kid and then they both break into pieces. Okay, going by that smirk I would think she did this solely to hurt Ruby it wasn't for seeing her actually open up to the Kid at one of their meetings. I mean I've seen the slight glances that Ruby sent the Kid but both of them are completely oblivious. Moving over to Ozpin/Oscar I plant my blade's edge against their neck.

"You get one chance, tell me you had nothing to do with Summer's death."

"I had nothing to do with Summer's death." I stare into Ozpin/Oscars eyes for a minute before removing my blade and setting it down.

"Fine I believe you." I look back at Ruby and lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey kiddo, you all right?" of course she's not all right, it the span of barely two days she's lost a team. Even if it wasn't her original team it has to hurt.

"Y..eah it I'll be fine. I mean it's not forever right." I carefully keep my mouth shut. The Kid only has Roman's old accomplice at his side and he's going to go against Salem. Those are not good odds.

 **Jaune's POV  
** "So Neo you got everything you need?" Neo nods and pats her backpack.

"Good." I open up Lionhearts scroll and use the map function to double check our destination. Neo stands up on her tip-toes and looks at the screen. She then sends me a questioning look.

"I told Ozpin I gave him everything on Salem, not everything on the White Fang and her other supporters. I gave him the info on the most dangerous or important to her but I kept most of the info for the two of us to act on. Let the others focus on her while we chip away at her support." Neo puts a finger to her cheek and seems to think before nodding in reply.

"Good, so I found out that the top dog of the White Fang got away but was injured. I went over Lionheart's notes last night and going by those this is the closest White Fang base that could treat him given that Blake nearly gutted him. Want to go torch the place?"

A sadistic grin is my answer.

 **So there we are. Thoughts? Opinions?**


	3. Chapter 3

**I really did intend to make this a two-shot but then more ideas popped into my head. This chapter will be a bunch of short moments in the years following Jaune leaving with Neo. Now I doubt most of these will actually happen even if I'm right about Jaune leaving with Neo but since the ideas won't leave me so I figured I might as well put them out there. Hope you all like it. I do not own RWBY.**

 **First Kiss- Neo's POV**

I drag my partner out of the lake. We came here to take out a branch of Salem's saboteurs, not even high up in the food chain. It was going so well, we were killing them off one by one in their base overlooking this lake. It was like pigs to a slaughter. They couldn't even touch us until someone got stupid and pulled out a grenade launcher. Jaune shoved me out of the way and got shot out a window and into the lake, the blast also set the base on fire. I can feel the heat from the fire hitting my back as I check Jaune's pulse. I feel cold despite the blaze going on behind me when I feel nothing. I get Jaune's armor off of him and start pumping on his chest, desperately trying to get his heart going again. Come on you idiot, you can't die on me! With one more push I finally manage to get the water to leave his lungs but he's still not breathing. I grab a piece of lightning dust from my pack and slam it onto Jaune chest. He twitches and I start giving him mouth-to-mouth. Switching between putting air in his lungs and pushing it back out I keep at it until he stirs. I step back as he rolls over and hacks up a little more water.

"Oum, what hit me." Jaune turns to look at me and smiles. "Good to see you made it." I don't hesitate for a second and smack him across the face as I glare at him.

"Okay I might have deserved that one."

"SMACK!"

"WHAT THE HELL NEO!?" I pin him to the ground and start punching him. How dare he make me worry, how dare he try and leave me. I throw another punch and Jaune catches it. His hand engulfs mine and he pulls me into a hug. I tense up, this is the most contact we've really had that hasn't involved first aid.

"I'm really sorry Neo, I just couldn't lose someone else." I feel myself tear up and quickly blink my eyes clear before Jaune sees. I refuse to let him see me cry, I am Neopolition, the feared enforcer of Roman Torchwick. The streets showed me just what happens to people that show weakness. I pull back and glare at him, he wilts under my gaze.

"Yeah, yeah. I won't do something stupid like that again. Now let's get out of here before anything unfriendly shows up." I nod and get off of him before helping him up. Jaune grabs his chest piece and we start hiking our way back to our camp.

"Hey Neo, any idea why I taste ice cream."

 **A Drunken Night- Jaune' POV**

I'm running as fast as I can towards Ren and Nora, the two of them leaning against each other utterly exhausted. Before I can reach them a Chimera lands behind them and rears a paw back. A swipe of a claw and Ren and Nora fall down to the ground, the ground absorbing their blood. Everything around me shifts to Beacon Tower on the night Beacon fell.

"I should never have believed in you." I turn around to see Pyrrha looking at me with a glare. "All my training and you were still useless. I should have at least let you come with me to be a human shield, it's all you're good for in the end." I don't even get to speak before an arrow pierces through her chest and she turns to ash before my eyes.

"PYRRHA!" I lunge forward and look around to realize that I'm in my bed. Neo and I are currently in one of her and Roman's old safe houses, one of the few he kept secret from Cinder in case they needed to run. Neo gave me a spare room and we've left Roman's untouched except for when Neo entered alone once to collect a few things. I should have known I wouldn't get a peaceful rest, it's the two-year anniversary of Beacon's fall. I hear that RWBY along with a lot of other Hunters and Huntresses cleared it out and the school will reopen soon, not like I'll be going back. I get out of bed and head to the kitchen after throwing a shirt on. I'm not going to sleep for a long time. To my surprise I'm not the only one up, Neo is sitting at the counter, wearing one of Roman's old coats that goes all the way to her thighs, with several bottles of scotch in front of her. Upon taking a closer look I can see that one is empty. "How long have you been up?" Neo looks at me and I can see her eyes are red and puffy.

"…." Neo shrugs and pours herself another drink. She then fills another glass and hands it to me when I take a seat next to her. I nod in thanks and drain it, I've become accustomed to drinking during my travels with Neo. She has taught me quite a bit about the darker side of the world, sometimes I think she has decades on me rather than just two or three years.

"So, what woke you up?"

"…." Neo simply gives me a look and I know what she means.

"Yeah, nightmares woke me up as well. Tch, the worst part is that they're right." I slam my fist against the counter and snatch up the refill Neo gives me. "I was so useless! Pyrrha saw me as a liability, I couldn't save Ren and Nora, and honestly, it's not like you need me. You could have done everything by yourself with one hand tied behind your back." I down my drink and feel the back of my throat burn. I look and see Neo placing an empty glass down before she looks at me and smacks me upside the head. When the stars go away I can see Neo shaking her head. She pulls down as section of the coat to reveal a scar on her collarbone, a slightly jagged line that comes dangerously close to her neck. She got that scar when some idiot started throwing around homemade shrapnel grenades. It did more damage to the enemy then us but some of the shrapnel was laced with earth dust; hardening the shrapnel and allowing it to pierce Neo's aura. The scar is more from the rudimentary stiches I gave her to keep her from bleeding out than the wound itself. Neo points at the scar and glares at me.

"What?" Neo jabs her thumb at herself and then drags it across her throat.

"And you've saved me about a hundred times by now." Neo shakes her head and holds up a finger, her message clear. It only takes one time. I stop arguing with her and refill my drink, I rarely win with her and never if it involves ice cream. After that we just started destroying the alcohol supply, trust Roman to have a large supply of his favorite drinks in his safe house, and keep telling each other stories about before we started working together. The stories get more slurred on my end while Neo begins to have trouble with her gestures as time passes and one by one the bottles were emptied but we didn't feel a need to stop. We were having fun, something we both wouldn't have thought possible tonight.

Light shining through the window wakes me up, my head is aching but Qrow taught me how to use my aura to keep hangovers mild while we were in Mistral after we shared a night drinking. I look around and notice this isn't my room. I feel weight on my chest. Looking down I see Neo sleeping on my chest, judging from what I can feel we're both naked. Oh, Oum I am so dead. I have seen what Neo does to people that piss her off and it is not pretty. I start trying to move out from under Neo only for her to start moving. She looks up at me with her eyes full of sleep and then smiles at me of all things before snuggling back into my chest. Is she still drunk? Oum, did I take advantage of her while she was drunk. Revulsion fills me at that thought. I stay as still as possible and don't move. I just know that I am going to die. When Neo get up she looks at me for a second before her eyes go white for a second before returning to their original color.

"Neo before you kill me I would like to say I am so sorry. Oum, I can't believe I took advanta.." I'm stopped by Neo putting a finger on my lips and smiling at me. She then sits up on her knees causing the covers to slip off her back, it takes a lot of willpower to keep my looking at her face. Neo then reaches past me and grabs her scroll from the bedside table. She then starts typing into it before stopping and pressing a final button. A robotic voice then starts playing what she typed out.

" _Please, I was the one that shoved you onto the bed and then started things off. Yeah we were both pretty drunk but I don't regret anything. There are a lot of worse people I could have done that with."_ At this point Neo licks her lips right as the next part starts playing causing a blush to spread across my face. _"But I didn't think you'd get so into it, it's always the innocent ones. Don't worry though, we remembered protection."_ Yeah I'm getting some memories from last night back. Now that I know I didn't take advantage of Neo I really don't regret anything. Oh, sure I was raised not to do this kind of thing but after the shit I've seen while working with Neo a drunken hook-up isn't that bad of a thing by comparison.

"Okay, that makes me feel a lot better. I know I said last night that you could kick my ass but I was really worried I might have done something while I was drunk and you weren't exactly in the best shape either." Neo looks at me in disbelief before she starts doing that silent giggle of hers, it's honestly incredibly cute. Neo starts typing away once more after she stops giggling.

" _You actually think you could do something like that, honestly the first time I met you I thought you were nearly too innocent. At least until you told me about your desire to kill Cinder."_ Neo looks uncomfortable for a second before typing out another message. _"I know that this is an unusual way to go about things, but then again we're not normal people. I feel something for you, I wouldn't say it's love but I really like being with you. And maybe someday it could be something more. Would you be willing to give us a try? If not I understand, we'll just never talk about this again and its business as usual."_ Neo refuses to look me in the eye any longer and looks away.

I start thinking on it for a few moments. Neo and I both know it can never be business as usual after this. Last night changes everything. I actually entertained the idea of a relationship with Neo once but it was a passing thought of an impossible event.

' _But so was Pyrrha loving you.'_

That thought sobers me up quickly. Neo and I are under no illusions of just how likely we are to die during this vendetta of ours. We've both learned to cling to the little things that make us happy, for Neo it's a bowl of ice cream while for me it's the X-ray and Vav comic series. This has a chance of making us happy.

"Neo … I feel the same. Love isn't what I'd use to describe what I'd feel for you but I'd like to give this a shot. But let's not hop into bed again for a good long while. I'd rather this not turn into something purely physical." Neo smiles at me, a smile I haven't seen on her before. This one is a lot gentler than any I've seen before, it's a good look for her. Neo than kisses me on the cheek and hops off the bed. I am not ashamed to admit that I watch the extra swing she puts into her hips as she walks into the bathroom.

This has every chance of biting us in ass. If this relationship goes south it could destroy our teamwork, however I can't stand the thought of just losing another chance with someone. I'll take this risk and deal with any consequences when they come.

Neo is definitely worth the risk.

 **Reunion (takes place a year after the last part) Ruby's POV**

We are now officially Huntresses, top of our class. Or at least what remains of it. Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha were given their licenses post-mortem, Jaune is still in the wind. He sends notes to us from various places but on the times we've checked them out he and Neo have been long gone. Yang wanted us all to go out and celebrate, to get our minds off the people we lost. She dragged the four of us out to go to Junior's. We all left our weapons behind as Junior insisted that Yang is never allowed inside the place armed. We walk inside and the pulsing music sets my body on edge.

"Come on Ruby, let's have some fun." I nod but I'm not really into this place.

"Um, guys." I look at Blake and then see she's pointing at the bar. I almost miss what she's pointing at until I see the mop of blond hair. I don't get my hopes up but then the guy turns to the side to signal the bartender and it is definitely Jaune. I rush forward as quickly as I can without my semblance.

"JAUNE!" Jaune turns to looks at me and I crash into him, my aura takes a dip since he's wearing his armor but it's worth it. I wrap my arms around him and hear him laugh.

"Hey Ruby. It's been a while." I back up and look back up at him and then slug him across the face. I'm shocked when he doesn't even move an inch. He reaches up and pulls my hand away from his face and then rubs his cheek. "That was a decent blow Ruby. And I'll admit I might have deserved that one."

"So, what are you doing here Vomit Boy?" Jaune's glare is not unexpected but it's scary how easily he slips into it.

"I'd appreciate you stop using that name. As for why I'm here, well Neo had some people she needed to talk to." The four of us bristle at that. We can never forget how she was involved in the Breach and the Fall. Weiss is the one that ask the question we all want answered.

"How can you forgive her?" Jaune's face is set into a dark glare.

"How can you forgive Ozpin?" I frown at that. I haven't been able to get Jaune's thoughts on Mom's death out of my head. Oscar has also been acting more like Ozpin as of late.

"She helped attack Vale."

"Ozpin was willing to sacrifice Pyrrha and signed us up for a war without even telling us there was a war. Has he even ever used his puppet to apologize? At least Neo has tried to make up for everything."

"SHE IS A KILLER!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING!" I look around and see people have started backing away from Weiss and Jaune's argument. "MY HANDS AREN'T EXACTLY CLEAN! AND NEITHER ARE YOURS FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD!" We back away from him at that outburst. None of us are actually surprised, Jaune wasn't in a situation where he could afford to hold back. He's also right about that second part, we each have a few kills to our names. Jaune takes a deep breath and takes a sip his drink. "Sorry. Look, Cinder threatened her and Roman to help her, Ozpin willingly did everything he did. I won't say Neo is innocent, we had that same argument early on, but we have been through too much for me not to trust her." A scroll buzzes on the bar and Jaune picks it up and looks it over. Anger slips onto his face and he puts some Lien on the bar before rushing out. I start running after him with my team following me.

"Where are you going?"

"Someone sold Neo out, that freaking psychopath Tyrian is after her." My eyes widen and I start to panic.

"Jaune stop! We need to get help, we couldn't even scratch him without Uncle Qrow's help last time!"

"Neo is leading him into a trap and I'm not waiting for help, Neo could die." I don't try arguing with him after that, something in his eyes tells me it would be a bad idea. I just keep following him till we reach a junkyard, gunfire can be heard from inside. The front gate is locked but Jaune simply cuts right through it. My team and I stop for a second and call out weapons while Jaune runs on ahead. It only takes a minute for our lockers to reach us. Now that we're armed we run to the fighting and find Jaune standing in front of Neo, who looks both exhausted and injured, with his sword in its larger form deadlocked against Tyrian's weapons. The stinger I cut off Tyrian is now replaced, a miniature Death Stalker's stinger grafted onto the flesh I cut through at one point.

"Ooh, you really have grown up. I was right to be interested in you." With a roar Jaune pushes Tyrian back and sends a blade beam at him but he flips over it with a smile. "Oh yes, that anger of yours has come along nicely. I wonder how much more it will grow when I take your replacement partner." Tyrian grins at Neo only to frown when she shatters. He dives forward to avoid her when she reappears above him, Neo's blade pierces the ground where he once stood. Tyrian doesn't get a chance to recover before Jaune is on him, Neo follows soon after. I want to get involved but we'd only get in the way in this situation. None of us know how to fight alongside Jaune now. Where he once relied mostly on defense now he switches near seamlessly between offense and defense, switching between his sword and shield to his two-handed blade whenever the situation calls for it. Neo and Jaune fight completely in sync, they seem to know exactly what the other person will do. When Neo moves in to attack Jaune is there to block any counterattacks. When Jaune forces Tyrian into another deadlock Neo is ready to pierce the Faunus's side. Tyrian eventually manages to trip Neo up and kicks her into Jaune who slides back while clutching her to the chest. Tyrian grins madly at them while that twisted tail dances around him.

"You two really are worthy of being a thorn in my Goddess's side. Little Cindy said you two wouldn't be a problem but the countless dead peons you've left in your wake say otherwise. The plans my Goddess made would be much further along if not for you two." Jaune smirks down at Neo.

"You hear that Neo, we got the great and mighty Salem's attention. She even sent her attack dog after us, guess we're moving up in the world." At Neo's nod in response Tyrian points his weapon's barrels at the two of them but we put ourselves between them. His mad grin only grows at that.

"Oh, this is glorious, six thorns to be removed from Salem's side today. This is going to be so much fun. I will be taking you away this time Little Ro..se" Tyrian pauses as his weapon points itself at his face and he ducks when it fires at him. A cold laugh draws our attention to Jaune and Neo who are now smiling at Tyrian with an equal amount of bloodlust in it. Jaune's hand glows with aura and everything clicks into place.

"Jaune... you have..."

"Polarity, yep. One final gift from Pyrrha. Now then, time to finish this." I now see why Jaune said Neo was leading Tyrian into a trap. This junkyard is filled with scrap, all of it flying at Tyrian now. He dodges the best he can but slowly his aura runs out and cuts from all over him. A pipe pierces his leg and it's over as more pieces of metal run through his body. In the end, he's held up by multiple pipes and beams piercing his body and the ground. A broken laugh leaks from the madman's body along with his blood.

"You rea..l..ly ar..e inte..rest..ing. Pr..ai..se Sal..em." With those last words, he slumps over and stops moving. I look back at Jaune carrying Neo in a princess hold and squash a bit of jealousy that raises up in me. Blake looks at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Why didn't you finish it sooner? You were clearly able to."

"I can't always rely on Pyrrha's semblance, we know Cinder for a fact uses glass weapons. This allowed us to see just how far we've come. I say we didn't do too poorly, what do you think Neo?" Neo shakes her hand in a way that implies decent and then makes several gestures I don't understand.

"Yeah we could improve in that area." Jaune looks over Neo and his tone softens considerably. "You are okay, right? I've seen what Tyrian's poison could do before he got that Stalker stinger." Neo smiles at him and then gives him a quick kiss before pulling out her scroll and typing something on it that she shows to Jaune. A small blush spreads across his cheeks and he grins at Neo.

"You're insatiable. Well, not the reunion I thought would happen but I'll take it. Keep yourselves safe." Jaune starts to walk off but stops, shifts Neo around to hold her in one hand, and grabs something from his pocket. He turns around and tosses it to Weiss. She catches it and I can now see it's a USB. "Found out quite a few secrets of your fathers during one of our hunting trips, that should help you with taking back your company." Neo smirks at us and then the two of them shatter into nothing, just like last time.

 **Epilogue – Jaune's POV**

My blade slices through the last Grimm, it's body turning to dust. Ever since RWBY took care of Salem the Grimm have been less in numbers but they're still a threat. This was the largest group to come near the village since Neo and I moved here. After the war, we both wanted to settle down out of sight, our battle with Cinder came with some complications. We had managed to meet up with Team RWBY before their assault on Salem's fortress and tagged along. When Cinder got in our way Neo and I stayed behind in order to give the others time to kill Salem.

That battle was without a doubt the toughest we've ever been in. Neo gained some burn scars all along her back from them while I lost two fingers from my left hand and gained a scar right under my right eye where she nearly blinded me. In the end, Cinder's final mistake was when she underestimated me after disarming me and while Neo distracted her I managed to send Crocea Mors flying into her back. She actually survived that but Neo made sure she regretted it. That had the effect of making Neo the last person on her mind. Turns out that Maiden does not necessarily equal virgin. Neo and I got out of that place as soon as we were sure Salem was dead, didn't bother saying goodbye to anyone. We knew that Ozpin and his ilk wouldn't have a second thought about ripping the Fall Maiden aura out of Neo and putting it into their own candidate/puppet. Neo and I ended up settling down in the same village that team RNJR fought that Geist near. I was quickly shoved into the positon of Head of Village Security after taking down a few more bandits, it helps that Neo and I are still considered boogeymen in some circles, the few Fang that remained after the war made sure it was known the damage we could cause. Criminals remember that when we went after them they rarely survived, that it is a bad idea to put themselves in our sights.

There was one loose end we had to take care of first, Raven Branwen's bandit clan. They had proven they had an interest in the Maidens and they lacked what morals Ozpin had. Finding them was the hard part, killing them was easy. A few hundred of Nora's high-explosive rounds, well worth all the time and Lien put into making them, thrown at high speeds using Polarity took care of most of them and the survivors were in no shape to put up a fight against the two of us. I'll admit if Raven Branwen still ran the clan it would have been a different story but with her dead in the war long before then their easy escape route was gone.

After that I thought we would have been good but then RWBY and Qrow showed up on our door. That very nearly turned ugly. Luckily Ruby managed to make sure Neo and I understood that Ozpin's/Oscar's group had no idea we were here. As it turns out Oscar really is Oscar but he learned a bit too much from Ozpin for me to ever go near the kid. Qrow was no idiot, he knew Neo was the Fall Maiden but kept his mouth shut. He promised us that it wouldn't be from him that anyone found out. After that it didn't become unusual for team RWBY to drop in every-few-months. After all Ruby is our kids' Godmother while the others are their beloved aunts.

Pyrrha and Roman, our ten-year-old twin terrors, and boy did Neo make me pay for us having two at once. I love them both but they are handfuls. Pyrrha takes after Neo in both looks, having a blue eye and a pink eye, and love of Ice Cream but acts more like I did at her age. Roman looks like a carbon copy of me but takes after Neo. Both are interested in being Huntsmen and they have the talent for it. When they both turn thirteen I'm going to give them a talk about the darker truths of being a Huntsman. Two years after that Neo and I will would educate them about the darker side of Remnant, tell them the reason they can never talk about their parents to others, and tell them everything about the people they get their names from. A growl reaches my ears and I turn to see a Beowolf getting ready to leap at me. I ready myself to cut it down the moment it's in the air only for it to fall to pieces.

"DADDY!" I sheathe Crocea Mors and catch Pyrrha as she runs into my arms. I look over her shoulder to see Neo and Roman walking up the path, Neo must have cut the Beowolf to shreds with the wind. Roman begins to make fun of his sister for acting the way she did. Pyrrha instantly let's go of me and gets up in his face, she definitely has a great deal of Neo in her. I watch as Roman and Pyrrha are pulled away from each other by their ears, Neo having a smile on her face that promises pain if they don't stop.

I wouldn't trade this for anything. This wonderful family of mine, they make it all worth it. I know people still look for the Fall Maiden, that they seek Neo's power, that if they found out a Maiden had children they would want to examine my kids under a microscope. If someone ever actually tried that I would make an example of them that the world would never forget. The world isn't a truly safe place, I don't think it ever will be, but watching my family as we set up a picnic lunch I can forget all about it. Neo smiles at me and my family calls me over from my daze. I walk towards them with a smile on my face.


End file.
